1. Field
The invention relates to a ceramic-powder and/or metal-powder press tool, comprising the features as recited in the preamble of claim 1, to a ceramic-powder and/or metal-powder press comprising such a press tool, to a modular system comprising such a press tool or such a press, to a method for assembling such a ceramic-powder and/or metal-powder press tool or such a press, and to a method of operating such a ceramic-powder and/or metal-powder press, respectively.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an example, a ceramic-powder and/or metal-powder press is known from DE 102 54 656 B4. It comprises a ceramic-powder and/or metal-powder press tool comprising at least one base body, a plurality of at least two punches which, in a press position, are arranged to be insertable from one side into a die cavity of a die filled with ceramic and/or metal powder, a plurality of at least two punch carriers each for the attachment of one of the punches, wherein at least part of the die carriers is couplable to at least two adjustment drives, and wherein the punch carriers are arranged to be adjustable relative to each other and relative to the base body, and positive-stop devices arranged to divert, in a press end position, at least part of a pressing force from the punches via the base body.
Herein, the adjustment drives are formed by hydraulic cylinder arrangements, wherein two pistons of the cylinder arrangements extend through the tool up to the associated punch carrier and have to be fixedly coupled with the punch carrier. A problem in this can be that a single pump is used to feed the two cylinder arrangements, for cost reasons, and thus the two cylinder arrangements are driven by a common control system. To prevent undesirable pressure compensation between the cylinder chambers of the two cylinder arrangements, it is thus necessary to provide on the one hand a very rigid connection between the piston and the associated punch carrier, and on the other hand, in addition, a guide arrangement for the punch carrier. Guide rods serve as the guide arrangement. Such guide rods extend from a base body through all punch carriers and as a rule also serve to guide the die.
The punch carriers are formed in a corresponding manner, in particular, as square plates having a wide dimension in the direction transverse to the pressing axis. A drawback of such an arrangement is, in particular, that it must be possible to press a great number of variously formed and variously dimensioned press parts with such a tool. Each of the components thus has to be able to pass on the greatest possible proportion of the pressing force, which is to be received by the punch supported on the plate. As a consequence, all components have to have large dimensions in the direction of the pressing axis and in the direction of the plane transverse to the pressing axis enabling these forces, comprising almost the entire pressing force of the main press cylinder, to be received. For this reason, there is a great need for space. Moreover, a great amount of material is necessary to construct the individual components, which not only makes the tool very heavy, but also leads to a great increase in material cost. This also entails the need for large-size adjustable positive stops, in particular. As a result of the great space requirements of the positive stops, the plate drives or adjustment drives of the punch carriers have to be arranged far on the outside or far removed from the pressing axis. A thickness of the punch carriers must be increased correspondingly, so that they do not bend.
To provide variability with respect to various parts and in view of the dimensions of the individual components, a maximum punch carrier stroke between two of the punch carriers of, for example, 100 mm, must be possible. To achieve variability, this should apply to every distance between any combination of two adjacent ones of the punch carriers. Since it must be possible that the punch carriers are able to travel a full stroke independently from each other and the punch carriers are arranged one on top of the other, the strokes and heights of the punch carriers are added, increasing the structural height. In order to bridge such heights, usually, additional spacers are inserted between punch carriers and the tool, or further tool components.
In arrangements with height-adjustable positive stops in the area of the base plate, high cups have to be set on top of the positive stops, which leads to problems in view of the cups being upset under the effective pressing force.